Mother's Day
by Mulderette
Summary: Callen helps the Hanna family get through an emotional day. ***Major spoilers for the season 8 finale*** This is story two in he Moving On series.


_What happened to Michelle really affected me. I can't seem to get it out of my head. This is the second story (the first was "Seeking Solace") in what will likely be a series of occasional stand-alone stories, detailing how the Hanna family deals with the tragic change in their lives._

 _Thanks for reading…_

xxxxx

"So…I guess you know what Sunday is…" Sam finally broached the topic he had been dreading to mention to his two children, intruding on the quietness of their meal. So far, their dinner had been silent except for the sounds of silverware hitting their plates.

Aiden didn't answer his father. He just proceeded to take another mouthful of his dinner. Kam, on the other hand, put down her fork and stared down at her plate which was still mostly full. Her appetite hadn't been good lately and it was starting to worry Sam.

"It's…" Sam began.

"We know what it is, dad," Aiden said, his eyes angry as he looked back at his father. "You don't have to spell it out for us."

"Anyhow…" Sam said, ignoring Aiden's outburst. "I was thinking it might be nice to take a drive to Carpinteria.

"Mom's favorite place," Kamran said as a trace of a smile touched her lips. "I'd like that, daddy."

"Robbie invited me to a cookout on Sunday," Aiden said, "but I suppose you're not going to let me go."

"Why would you want to go to their Mother's Day party?" Kamran asked. "Mrs. Bates isn't your mother."

"It's not for Mother's Day," Aiden defended himself. "It's just a cookout, but **_fine_**. I won't go."

"I didn't say you couldn't go," Sam said patiently. "If you want to do that, it's fine." He had hoped Aiden would spend the day with him and Kamran, but he wasn't going to force him to. He knew that everyone had to grieve in their own way. He didn't want to make things worse on his children. Since Kamran's impromptu visit to Callen's house, he had tried to talk to her more often and she seemed to respond to it. However, when he tried to talk to his son, he was mostly rebuked or ignored. The two were grieving their mother's loss very differently from each other.

"Daddy? Can we invite Uncle Callen to come with us?" Kamran asked, looking at Sam through pleading eyes.

"Uncle Callen?" Sam asked uncertainly. "You really want him to come along?"

"Yes," Kamran said, nodding eagerly.

Aiden scoffed at his younger sister. "Uncle Callen isn't going to want to do that. He has better things to do, I'm sure."

"You don't know that," Kamran snapped. "Just because you're mean and selfish, doesn't mean he is. He loved our mother and she loved him! And he doesn't have a mother either. Maybe it's a sad day for him too. "

"I'll call him after dinner," Sam said, trying to placate his daughter. Privately, he agreed with Aiden. He didn't think Callen would want anything to do with this, but he'd ask him. They'd never even discussed Mother's Day before. Sam had talked about taking the kids out to buy Michelle gifts, things like that, but it's not like he had tried to find out his partner's thoughts on the matter. That would have been an awkward discussion. He presumed that would be the likely outcome in this case. "I just don't want you to be disappointed if he doesn't want to come."

"I won't be," Kamran said, using her fork to move her vegetables around on her plate.

"Can I be excused?" Aiden asked.

Sam glanced at his son's plate, which was now empty, and was glad at least one of his children was managing to eat. "Sure…go ahead…"

Aiden took his plate, glass and his utensils out into the kitchen, then silently went to his bedroom.

Sam sighed as he watched Kamran play with her vegetables and arrange them into a circle. "Is my cooking not as good as your mom's was?" he finally asked softly.

Kamran shot her father a guilty look. "Your cooking is fine, daddy."

"But?"

"I'm just not very hungry tonight."

"That's been happening a lot, baby girl," Sam said, his tone gentle. "I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to be," Kamran said in a small voice as she stared down at the table.

"That's what fathers do…they worry about their little girls."

"Can I please be excused?" she finally met his eyes with her own, both pairs of eyes filled with unbearable sadness.

"Yeah…go ahead, angel," Sam said, watching as she got up from the table and dejectedly left the room. He didn't have the heart to tell her to clear away her dishes from the table. Instead, he got up and cleared up everything from dinner himself, then went into the living room to call his partner.

xxxxx

Callen had just finished eating a sandwich for dinner when his phone buzzed. He quickly grabbed it when he saw Sam's name on the display. "Hey Sam."

"Hey G…sorry to disturb you."

"You're not disturbing me, Sam. How's it going? Everything okay?"

"Yeah…everything's fine…"

"You sure, big guy?" Callen asked, a note of concern in his voice.

"I…was wondering something…well, Kamran wanted me to ask you, but…I told her you probably wouldn't want to do it, so…so don't feel obligated or anything…I just told her I'd ask you…"

"What is it?" Callen asked softly, not used to Sam sounding so nervous and unsure. "Whatever it is, I'll do it."

Sam chuckled quietly. "You sure you want to say that before you even know what it is?"

"I'm sure," Callen replied as he waited to hear whatever it was that Sam's daughter wanted. He knew he'd be unable to refuse her.

"Well…Sunday is Mother's Day and we're going to take a ride out to Carpinteria for the day. It…it was one of Michelle's favorite places to go. Kamran wanted you to come with us. "

"That's a couple hours away, isn't it?" Callen asked. He actually wasn't sure. He'd never been there.

"It's about an hour and a half drive," Sam said. "Listen, G…it's fine if you don't want to come. I understand. I really didn't think it would be your thing anyway."

"Sam, give me a sec. I didn't say I wouldn't come," Callen protested. "I'll go with you."

"I don't want you to feel like you have to…"

"Are you trying to talk me out of this?" Callen asked. "Do you not want me to go with you?"

"Of course I want you to come."

"Okay then, it's settled. What time do we leave?"

"I'll pick you up at nine?"

Callen nodded. "Sounds good. I'll see you then."

"I'll see you, G… and thanks."

Callen hung up the phone and his thoughts couldn't help but go back to that tragic day when Michelle had asked him to take care of her husband. Of course, he would have done it anyway. Sam was his best friend and his family meant the world to him. He would do anything for them. He felt the familiar tears brimming in his eyes and, since he was alone, he didn't try to hold them back. He had been trying his best to be strong for Sam and his children, but sometimes his emotions just got the best of him.

xxxxx

Once Aiden was in his room, he laid down on his bed then he grabbed his iphone, put on his earphones and tried to lose himself in his playlist of songs. He felt like he was going to cry and he angrily swiped at his eyes and willed the tears away. He had never experienced the kinds of feelings he'd been having lately. He felt like he was under attack by waves of emotion. One minute he was sad, then guilty, then angry. Mostly though, he felt an incredible feeling of loss. He hated coming into the house now. He had been so used to his mom's smiling face greeting him and now, where she had been, there was only emptiness. He thought about dinner and his sister and began to feel guilty about how he had talked to her. She was only 12 years old. He knew he should have been nicer to her, but sometimes the whole situation just made him so angry that he felt like he had no control.

He got up from his bed, left his bedroom, and went out to the kitchen. The door to the den was closed and he figured his dad was in there. He and their mom had used to watch t.v. at night, cuddled on the sofa together, laughing and talking about their days. Now, his dad rarely sat in the living room…rarely watched television except when Uncle Callen came over, once in a while, to watch a game. Aiden opened up the freezer and pulled out half gallon containers of vanilla and chocolate chip ice cream. He then got the ice cream scoop from the drawer, and the jar of fudge sauce and can of whipped cream from the refrigerator. He got two bowls from the cabinet and began creating two ice cream sundaes. He scooped generous portions of ice cream into each bowl, heated up the fudge sauce and poured it on top, and squirted a good amount of whipped cream onto the sundaes. He then put away the ingredients, got two spoons and headed for his sister's room.

xxxxx

After Kamran had been excused from dinner, she had gone to her room, curled up on her bed, grabbed her favorite stuffed bear and hugged it tightly as she cried into her pillow. She just missed her mom so much. She still couldn't understand why this had happened. Her mom had done nothing to deserve such a terrible fate. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair at all.

"Hey Kam?" Aiden's voice called to her from outside her door. "Can I come in?"

"Go away, Aiden," Kamran said, sitting up on the bed and wiping her eyes with her hand.

"Please let me in. I have something for you."

"What is it?"

"You have to open the door. My hands are full."

Kamran put down her bear, got up from the bed and walked to the door to reveal her brother, standing there with two very large ice cream sundaes.

"Dessert," Aiden said, smiling at her.

"Does daddy know you made those?" Kamran asked, thinking he wouldn't really approve of them. "They're awfully big."

"Dad won't care," Aiden said, pretty sure it was true. He knew their father was worried about Kamran and the fact that she wasn't eating much since the tragedy. He hadn't said anything, but Aiden had noticed the way he sometimes looked worriedly at Kam. "He'll be glad, trust me on that."

"Thank you," Kamran said as she took one of the sundaes and a spoon from her brother then walked back to her bed where she sat down. She then looked at Aiden who was still standing in the doorway. "You can come in if you want to."

"Thanks…" Aiden came into her room and sat down on her desk chair. The two sat silently, slowly eating their ice cream until he decided he needed to say something. "Kam…I'm sorry about before. I just really didn't want to talk about Mother's Day, you know?"

"I know," Kamran said. "It's okay."

"I mean…I don't know…" he shrugged, not really knowing what he wanted to say.

"It's fine, Aiden. Everyone grieves differently."

"Where did you get that from, the Internet?" Aiden asked, with a slight smirk.

Kamran shook her head. "No. I went to see the school counselor, Mrs. Browning. She's very nice. She told me that. She said that whatever feelings I'm having, it's okay…" She stirred some of the ice cream which had melted under the hot fudge and put it into her mouth, enjoying the creamy consistency. "So whatever you're feeling, it's okay."

Aiden shifted in his chair uncomfortably and concentrated on his ice cream. He didn't really know what to say to his sister. He didn't really want to talk about the subject at all. "Anyhow…I didn't mean to make you feel bad and I'm sorry if I did."

"It's okay," Kamran said with a shrug. "I wanted you to come with daddy and me on Sunday, but I understand why you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to…I just…" he shook his head sadly, knowing he was trying to avoid Mother's Day. He didn't even want to think about the day anymore, now that they no longer had a mother to celebrate with.

They both continued to eat their ice cream companionably, but limited the rest of their conversation to talking about their friends and the newest pop culture news. When they had finished eating, Aiden was glad to see his sister had eaten the entire sundae and he stood up. "I'll take the bowls into the kitchen," he said.

"Thank you," Kam said, giving him a small smile as he took the bowl from her hand.

"You're welcome." Aiden headed towards the doorway but before he left, he turned back to study her. She had picked up her teddy bear and was obviously getting some comfort from it. "Hey Kam?" he said softly. "I'll go with you and dad on Sunday."

The heartfelt smile he got in return made his words totally worth it.

xxxxx

At exactly 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, Sam pulled up in front of Callen's house. Callen quickly came outside, opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. "Good morning, Sam," he said with a grin. "Very punctual. Hi kids."

"Hi Uncle Callen," Kamran said, enthusiastically.

Aiden, who was listening to music just said, "hey."

"Got you some coffee," Sam said, nodding towards the cup holder.

"And we have donuts," Kamran announced.

"Really," Callen said, smirking at his partner. "Donuts?"

Sam shook his head, smiling. "Just take a donut, G and don't get crumbs all over my car."

"Don't mind if I do." Callen reached towards Kamran who handed him the box. "Mmm…these look good," he said, eying the assortment eagerly. He finally picked out a jelly donut and passed the box back to Kamran. "I may even have two."

"Have as many as you want," Sam said. "I already had a smoothie, so it's just you and the kids eating them."

Callen settled back into his seat and contentedly munched on the donut as Sam drove. It was a very nice day. He had to say, he was actually looking forward to this little day trip with Sam and his kids. There was only one way it would have been better, but he was trying not to think about that. They drove along companionably, making small talk about sports, mostly focused on the NBA playoffs and the upcoming draft. Both kids were listening to music in the back and doing whatever they did on their tablets.

In just under an hour and a half, they reached Carpinteria. Sam found a spot in a free parking lot and they got out of the car. "So, what is there to do around here?" Callen asked, glancing around at the place which had sort of a small town vibe to it.

"We walk and shop and eat," Kamran said, smiling.

"Well…walking and eating sound pretty good anyway," Callen said.

Sam threw his arm around his friend's shoulders and chuckled. "Come on, G. It's going to be fun. You'll see."

xxxxx

They started walking through the shopping area, stopping at the various shops and galleries, which Callen found to be much more enjoyable than he would have thought. He even ended up purchasing a seascape painting in one of the galleries, much to Sam's surprise and amusement. "I never thought I'd see the day," Sam said with a grin, "G. Callen buying artwork."

"Hey, I'm only doing it to support the local artists," Callen said, smirking at his partner. "It's not like I'm opening up an art museum."

"Our mom used to buy paintings here sometimes," Kamran informed Callen, her eyes momentarily sad.

"Do you see any pictures you like, angel?" Sam asked softly.

Kamran quickly shook her head. "No. I'm just happy Uncle Callen found something nice," she said. "I don't think I want anything."

"Aiden?"

Aiden gave his father an incredulous look. "I don't think so, dad," he said.

They continued walking until they reached a small jewelry shop. "Can we go in?" Kamran asked, looking up at Sam.

Sam nodded though he looked a bit ill at ease. "Sure, Kam. We can go wherever you'd like."

Aiden looked at the jewelry store with obvious distaste. He had tolerated the art galleries and little shops with knickknacks and souvenirs, but he really had to draw the line at snooty-appearing jewelry stores. "Can I wait out here, dad?" he asked, giving Sam a pleading look.

"Yeah, sure," Sam said with a chuckle. "G will come in with me."

"I will?" Callen asked jokingly, but he willingly followed his partner into the store. This day wasn't about him. It was about Sam and his family.

"My dad used to buy mom things in this store," Kamran whispered to Callen when Sam had drifted a little bit away from them. "I think maybe this store makes him sad…"

Callen was unsure of what to say. His eyes went to his partner and he saw that Sam looked incredibly emotional. He wished he knew how to better help his partner through his grief, but he was pretty sure that Sam was just going to have to get through it, the best way he could.

"Oh look, Uncle Callen…" Kamran looked happy, but emotional at the same time as she pointed out a bracelet. "It's beautiful." It was a silver bracelet with an inscribed heart which said "The Love Between Mother and Daughter is Forever." There was also what looked like an angel wing and some tiny pink crystals.

Callen picked up the bracelet and handed it to the saleswoman. "I'll take this."

"No, Uncle Callen, you don't have to buy that for me," Kamran said, quickly shaking her head. "I don't need it…or I can ask daddy."

"I want to buy this for you, Kamran," Callen said, smiling down at her. "It would make me very happy to do this."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at him, obviously trying hard not to cry.

"I'm very sure, Kamran," Callen said, trying not to get choked up as Kamran gave him a heartfelt hug.

"Thank you, Uncle Callen," she said. "Thank you so much."

"What am I missing here?" Sam asked as he rejoined his partner and daughter.

"Uncle Callen bought me a bracelet," Kamran told him.

"G…" Sam shook his head. "You don't have to buy her anything."

The saleswoman handed Callen the credit card receipt to sign and the bag containing the bracelet, which he handed to Kamran. "Look at it, daddy," Kamran said as she took the box out of the bag and opened it, presenting the bracelet for Sam to see. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah…yeah it is beautiful, baby girl," Sam said, his eyes filled with emotion when he read the inscription on the bracelet. He handed the bracelet back to his daughter and she headed out of the store ahead of them. Sam put his hand on Callen's arm, stopping him before they reached the door. "Thank you, G… not just for the bracelet…thanks for…for everything you've done…"

Callen gently gnawed on his lower lip, uncomfortable with the praise, not feeling like he had really done much of importance for Sam, not as much as he wanted to do for him, in any case. "You're welcome, Sam, he said softly.

xxxxx

After they left the jewelry store, they found a restaurant with casual type food and waterfront views. After a nice lunch, they took a walk along the shoreline, then ended the day with ice cream cones. Everyone was pretty much wiped out as Sam drove towards home and conversation was at a minimum.

"Daddy?" Kamran spoke from the back seat as they neared home.

"Yeah, angel?"

"I…can we go…can we go to the cemetery?"

"Of course."

"And can we go get some flowers?"

"Whatever you'd like, Kamran." Sam cast a quick look at his partner. "Do you want to come with us, G?" he asked. "I can just drive you'd home if you'd rather…"

"I…" Callen looked uncertain. "I'd like to, Sam, but…are you sure I won't be intruding?"

"I'm positive, G," Sam said with obvious emotion. "You're family."

"Please come, Uncle Callen," Kamran said.

Callen nodded. "Of course, I'll come, Kam."

Sam drove to a florist near the cemetery and they went inside. Sam and the children each picked out bouquets and Callen bought two bouquets, as well. Sam gave him a curious look, but didn't ask any questions. A short time later, they arrived at the cemetery. Callen left one bouquet in the car and brought the other one with him as they walked to Michelle's gravesite. He then bit his lip hard as he tried to hold back the sudden wave of emotion that hit him. Sam was already openly crying and Callen put his arm around him, not speaking, but just silently supporting him.

Kamran was sobbing as well as she went to her father and embraced him. "I…I miss mommy so much," she said through her sobs.

At that point, Callen gave up trying to hold back his own tears and a steady stream trickled down his cheeks.

Only Aiden managed to remain composed. It was obvious that the boy was emotional, but was trying hard to hide his feelings. He put his flowers down at the base of the headstone and slowly walked back towards the car, his shoulders shaking.

After a short time, Callen decided to head back to the car himself, wanting to give Sam and his daughter a little privacy if they wanted it. "Hey Aiden, are you okay?" he asked softly as he got back into the front seat.

"I'm fine," Aiden said. Callen could tell he had been crying but he made no mention of it. A few minutes later, Sam and Kamran came back to the car and Sam started it up.

"Are we going to your mom's cemetery now?" Kamran asked.

Callen glanced at Sam who gave him a silent apology with his eyes. "No Kam," Callen said softly. "I…I don't know where my mom is buried…"

"Oh…I'm sorry," Kamran said, sounding subdued. "I didn't know…"

"It's okay." Callen was quick to reassure her. "You couldn't have known."

"Then who are the flowers for?" Kamran asked.

"Kamran, enough with the questions," Sam said, not wanting his partner to get the third degree from his daughter. "Leave Uncle Callen alone."

"Sorry…"

"It's alright, Sam," Callen said. "The flowers are for Hetty, Kamran…I always try to see her on Mother's Day."

"Oh. That's nice," Kamran said, sounding more upbeat. "Tell Hetty I said Happy Mother's Day."

"I'll tell her," Callen said, leaning his head back against the seat as Sam turned the car in the direction of Callen's house.

xxxxx

When they arrived at the house, Sam turned to Callen. "I'd like to talk to you for a minute, G."

"Sure, Sam."

The two men got out of the vehicle and Sam turned to his partner, his eyes filled with emotion. "I just wanted to say thank you for today. You have no idea what it means to me that you came with us."

Callen looked at Sam, truly bewildered by his words. "I…I didn't do anything special, Sam," he said. "If you ever want me to go anywhere with you, all you've got to do is ask. You should know that by now."

"I do…I do know that, G, but…this day…it could have been so much worse. It really helped me having you there. I know it meant a lot to Kamran and Aiden too, even if he doesn't show it."

"I know its rough on them…" Callen said, looking down at the ground as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "It's rough on all of you…Anything I can do…"

"You've been doing it…since this whole nightmare happened, G. You've been my brother in every sense of the word and I know you've been keeping your own feelings inside through much of it…"

"I'm fine," Callen said. "I…I just want you and the kids to be fine too…"

"We will be…"

"Can I say goodbye to Uncle Callen?" Kamran asked from the window she had just rolled down.

Sam nodded and Kamran eagerly got out of the car. "Thank you for coming with us today, Uncle Callen," she said, as she threw her arms around him. "And thank you for my bracelet. It's very special and I love it. My mom would have loved it too."

"I'm glad you like it," Callen said, feeling a lump developing in his throat.

"Bye, Uncle Callen." Aiden extended his hand to Callen who shook it. "It was good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Aiden," Callen said.

"Okay, get back in the car so your Uncle Callen can go see Hetty," Sam said, watching as Aiden got into the now abandoned passenger seat in the front and Kamran got in the back. "Does she know you're coming?"

Callen nodded. "Yeah, I just told her I wasn't sure what time. She just likes to see me, I think. It's kind of a tradition."

Sam nodded. "Well, thanks again, buddy," he said softly. He then wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him into a warm embrace. "I mean it. Thank you, G."

"You're welcome, Sam," Callen whispered as he used every bit of will power he had not to break down.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Sam released Callen and gave him an emotional smile.

"Have a good night, Sam," Callen said. He watched as Sam got back into the car and pulled away. The family waved at him from inside the car and he waved back until they were out of sight. He then took a deep, shuddering breath and slowly let it out.

"I'm trying as hard as I can, Michelle," Callen said tremulously, as his eyes overflowed with tears once again. "I just really hope its good enough."


End file.
